Claire Byrne Phil Ní Sheaghdha Ireland Coronavirus Claire Byrne Phil Ní Sheaghdha Ireland

'The right thing to do': Covid bonus welcomed amid calls to widen eligibility

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The General Secretary of the Irish Nurse and Midwives Organisation said they are "very happy" with the Government's announcement that frontline healthcare workers will receive a €1,000 bonus, adding that it is "the right thing to do".

Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne, Phil Ní Sheaghdha said healthcare workers have made extraordinary sacrifices. "Many of them have been working in environments that the rest of us in society must thank them for," she said. "We can only imagine what they've been through." Ms Ní Sheaghdha said nurses and midwives went into "very dangerous situations" pre-vaccination and were not sure what the effects of that would be. "It's a small thank you but it's very welcome," she added. "It's something that we sought last November and it's the right thing to do." Meanwhile, the Irish Medical Organisation said that it notes the bonus but added that it has yet to see details of how it will "be applied which will require consideration".

Eamon Donnelly, head of health at Fórsa trade union, said they are short on detail and are not clear which of their members will qualify for the payment.

Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, Mr Donnelly said it seems to suggest that the sliding criteria is a "clinical Covid-exposed environment", which he said can mean many different things. "At the outset of the pandemic, when we didn't know about the virus and the PPE was substandard, a number of our people would have went testing and swabbing - and that is a Covid environment," he said. "The people presenting for testing would have been suspected Covid cases. "I would say that that would be a Covid-exposed environment." Mr Donnelly said they welcome the fact that the Government "after all this time has done something".

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